Brent Acuff - Undead Nation 01 Read online

  The flash of the gun; the explosion of sound; the look of confusion and pain across the face of Mrs. Toolson. Blood and bone exploded from her chest as the bullet tore a fist sized whole from her. She was standing so close to the fire exit that the bullet smashed through the glass of the door, spraying Alex with broken glass and narrowly missing him.

  Mrs. Toolson's body continued forward and slammed into the fire exit door. Her momentum carried her through the shattered window expelling what remained after the bullets destructive path. Her body slumped over the frame, blood pouring from the bullet wound and now from gashes carved into her from shattered glass. More screams of sheer terror erupted from the school, the panic of students and teachers fighting desperately to escape.

  Alex reached down for Mrs. Toolson in a vain attempt to help her. Grasping beneath her chin and shoulders he began to lift her. Toolson's body shuddered once and remained still.

  Panic sought to overwhelm Alex. The witness of two murders, moments apart screamed at Alex to run, hide and only come out when he was sure it was safe. A child's scream was all that kept him there, alone on the fire escape. Alone save for the still warm body of Gemma's school teacher. Gemma...Gemma was screaming. His daughter was screaming for him, terrified. The world closed in around him and then disappeared.

  Everything was very clear at that moment. Alex did not think about what he needed to do, he simply acted, and in doing so the world seemed to bend to his will. Instinctively he moved into and through the building, knowing precisely where his daughter would be. Huddled in the corner of her classroom, clutching her friend Becky to her as if the simple act could save them both from any harm, was Gemma.

  "Daddy!" she screamed, hope and fear flooding her voice.

  "Let's go," Alex commanded holding his hands to both children. "I'm here to get you out." His voice was calm and soothing. It startled him to hear this sense of peace in him after the horror he had just witness. Horrors that would pale in comparison to the events which were to come.

  Both girls released their grip on one another only to transfer that desperate act onto Alex. He gathered the girls into his arms and lifted them from the floor. Pain in his back flared again, but Alex would not let it slow him from getting his daughter safely home.

  Alex stepped into the hallway, angling his body left then right to see around him and the girls he was carrying. The murderer was there, still with the gun raised, but now with a wild look about him. A wild beast seemed to be there, desperately waiving this gun about, searching for a new target. Their eyes met.

  The gun swung in Alex's direction and he pushed forward, twisting his body to the left in order to protect the two girls. The gun spit forth another bullet, but the aim was wide, splintering the wood around the door Alex had just come through. Alex let momentum carry his body around and his back slammed through the door across the hall. Alex and the two girls crumpled to the floor. Each of the girls let out screams of pain and surprise as they were roughly thrown across the floor. Alex was the first to his feet and grabbed each of the girls arms in turn, yanking them to their feet and pulling them to the far side of the room. He hurried them behind a large desk.

  "Stay here, be quiet, and don't move till I come get you. Do you hear me?!" Tears streamed down Gemma's face and she reached for her father. "Did you hear me?" Alex demanded as he stripped Gemma's arms from around his neck. "Do you understand me?!"

  Gemma's lips quivered and she pleaded with her father. "Where are you going? Don't go, daddy! Don't go!"

  "I'll be right back, sweetheart. I promise. Can you stay here and stay quiet till I get back? Both of you?" Alex looked to Becky. He had almost forgotten she was there. "Can you stay here till I get back from helping your teachers?"

  Alex knew without thinking that he had to do something about the mad man with the gun. He would never be able to get down the hall carrying the two girls if the maniac was waiting out there. Something would have to be done.

  The girls looked back and forth to one another and slowly nodded. Alex knew his little girl and knew she would obey...she always wanted to make her dad proud. Alex reached out and pinched each girl's cheek, forcing a smile. "I'll be right back."

  A quick scan of the room provided no immediate ideas to help their situation. This was the average and all too ordinary elementary school classroom, designed solely to keep distractions and safety concerns to a minimum. Alex search every corner until his eyes settles on the stool.

  Alex was across the room in two strides, flipping the stool to its side. With as much force as he could, Alex brought his foot down on the stool leg highest from the ground. The leg snapped off with an loud pop and the dislodged leg skittered across the floor. Quickly Alex repeated the maneuver with the remaining three legs scattering them around the room. Gathering the pieces Alex checked the ends of each broken leg and selected the two sharpest, if not most jagged pieces. Everything around Alex came into sharp focus.

  The gunman came around the corner of the door, arm outstretched, leading the way into the room with the gun. He did not see Alex to the side of the door until it was too late to react.

  Alex swing one of the stool legs down in a vicious arc connecting with the gunman's arm about halfway between the elbow and the wrist. Alex, using an underhanded grip, then brought his right hand across his body at the gunman. The jagged edge of the stool leg entered the man's chest just below the right collar bone. Blood sprayed from the vicious gash and Alex moved now to finish the job. His left arm swung up, driving the second ragged spike into the man's side below the shoulder and exiting out his back.

  The man never screamed or even yelled. The look of shock and surprise were the only reaction that Alex saw on the man's face as he dropped the gun then fell to the floor. Alex released his grip on his improvised weapons and stooped to pick up the gun. It was a revolver. Five shots. Empty.

  The girls had remained where they were, quiet sobs escaping their lips. Each girl had her face buried in the other's shoulder and both seemed that they would squeeze the very life out of the other. "Everything is okay," Alex said softly. He said a quiet prayer that the man had not screamed when Alex had attacked him. Now he had to think of a way to get the girls out without them seeing the bodies of the gunman or their teacher. "We're going to get out of here now, but I still need you two to do something for me." Both girls released the grip they had on each other just enough to look towards Alex. "I'll carry you out, but I need both of you the squeeze your eyes shut and keep your heads buried in my shoulder. Can you do that? Can you keep your eyes closed no matter what?"

  Both girls nodded their agreement, happy to finally get out of this nightmare. They would do just about anything as long as it meant going home. Carefully Alex scooped the children into his arms and stood to leave. "Remember, keep your eyes closed until I tell you it's okay." There was no argument from the girls, each trying desperately to push their faces into Alex's shoulder as far as they could. With the care and grace of moving a sleeping child, Alex began to make his way out of the building.

  -----

  Morgan Kemp paced the apartment, chewing her fingers nails and quietly cursing the phone. She read the note in her hands again, "Gone to get Gemma and Becky from school...be back soon. Alex." Three hours ago. Alex had left the apartment three hours ago and still wasn't home. The news reports were getting worse and Alex refused to answer his phone. "Where the hell is he?" she cursed.

  A knock on the door startled Morgan into dropping the note. For a moment she hoped that it was Alex and the girls, for some reason without keys to unlock the door. "Who is it?" Morgan asked timidly.

  "Morgan? This is Janet. Can you open the door?" Janet's voice was shaking and she sounded on the verge of losing control. Morgan hurried to the door to let her in.

  "Morgan, have you seen Alex? He said he was going to get Becky and Gemma, but I haven't seen him in forever. Have you heard from him?"

  "You spoke with Alex before he left?"
Morgan asked, confused.

  "Well...yes. I asked if he could go and get Becky. There's something going on near the school and I didn't want Becky there."

  Morgan snapped at her, "So why didn't you go and get Becky?" There was no love lost between the two. Fleeting thoughts of something going on between Alex and Janet had recently begun creeping into her mind. The two of them stay-at-home parents with too much time on their hands, Becky and Gemma being such good friends. Alex never seemed to be willing to talk about what went on throughout his day and all but refused to talk at all about Janet.

  The thoughts racing through Morgan's head were wrong, she knew. With a shake of her head she dismissed them and apologized to Janet. "I'm sorry, Janet. I've been watching the news lately and am a bit uptight."

  Janet interrupted her, "Oh I understand...it's okay."

  "Janet, I haven't seen Alex since I got home. All I know is that he went to get the girls. You're more than welcome to come in and wait. I'm sure he'll be here soon." Morgan tried to sound as inviting as she could. She didn't like Janet very much, but she figured waiting with Janet was better than waiting alone.

  "Thank you," Janet said uneasily, not sure if Morgan was being truly courteous. She carefully entered the apartment glancing from side to side as if looking for something, or someone.

  "What can I get you?" Morgan asked playing the good host. Morgan did not like Janet, but there was not reason to be rude. Both of them were worried about what was going on at the school and concerned that they had not heard from Alex. Each of them could use some company right now.

  "Nothing, thank you," Janet said absently. She was staring at the TV, intently watching the news reporters and the breaking news scrolling across the bottom of the screen. Morgan picked up the remote from where she had placed it and unmuted the sound. Janet jumped from the sudden noise now coming from the TV set.

  "City officials are still very vague as to the actual events that are taking place within the barricaded area. Word of a possible terrorist bombing have been circulating around the crowd gathered here, including some of the police officers that have been patrolling the barricade. In the last thirty minutes, the Texas National Guard and Austin police have pushed back the barricaded area almost three city blocks. Anyone outside of the restricted area have been asked to disperse and go home. All residents and employees within the barricade have not been allowed to leave."

  "My god," Janet whispered from behind her hand.

  "As we reported earlier, a small amount of gunfire could be heard. There is no word yet if that gunfire had come from within the restricted area or outside it. National Guardsmen and city police have been rather hostile towards those who have been gathering around the barricades, many of whom claim to have loved ones trapped inside the area."

  "Morgan," Janet's voice was shaking and tears had begun to roll down her cheeks. "Morgan I need to find Alex. We need to find Alex. I need my baby." Janet's voice was raising to an almost hysterical pitch and she began gesturing with her hands frantically.

  "Janet, you need to calm down. What do you plan on doing and where would you go? Alex probably has the girls now and is headed here. If you leave now you'll miss them in passing and just cause more problems at the school than needed. I'm sure you're not the only parent who went to get their kid -- or sent someone." There was a venom that crept into Morgan's voice. She shook her head trying to clear the irrational thoughts from her mind and to speak calmly to Janet. "With everything that is going on I'm sure the phone lines are probably all jammed up. I'd bet that is why Alex hasn't called. I'm sure he's been trying and he'll get through soon.

  Janet was wringing her hands and if she were trying to remove some invisible substance stuck to them. She was panicking and searching around the apartment for something for her mind to latch on to. Behind her gunfire erupted from the television. Both women started from sudden assault on their ears and senses, then gathering their wits ran into the other room to see what was happening.

  The news reporter on at the scene was frantically speaking into the camera as the gathered crowd began to run in every direction. "...gunfire can be heard coming from the barricaded area. No one knows what is happening in the area and there is utter chaos..." One of the crowd ran into the reporter knocking him off his feet. The man continued forward, his momentum carrying him straight into the cameraman and also knocking him to the ground. The image on the screen shook violently as the camera was dropped, coming to rest on its side with the National Guardsmen and police in view. Some of the gathered crowd were running into the restricted area instead of away from it, hoping in the confusion to be able to get through to their loved ones trapped inside. Horror gripped Janet and Morgan as the Guardsmen and police fired upon those entering the restricted area.

  Blood sprayed from the back of those hit, knocking them off their feet to land face first on the hard pavement. The guns of the guardsmen continued to belch forth their lethal contents striking others in their flight and continuing to punch bloody holes in those that had already fallen. Boots came in the the cameras field of view blocking the image. Shouts and orders could be heard, most likely from the man standing over the camera. Someone was demanding that the camera be turned off, to hand them over. The camera's view shifted again as if being picked up. Gunfire exploded near the camera and the view once again tumbled to the ground. A hand covered in blood fell into view just before the network signal cut out completely.

  "Oh my god...oh my god..." Janet was muttering to herself over and over; Morgan simply sat staring at the screen.

  "What just happened?" Morgan whispered and absently reached for the phone. She had to get in touch with Alex. She had to make sure everything was alright. Morgan was dialing the phone when Janet collapsed to the floor unconscious. "I don't need this," she sighed and placed the phone down next to her. As she bent to help Janet she said, "I need to find Alex and Gemma."

  -----

  Gunfire was still popping behind them, but far in the distance now. It was just over two miles from the school to the apartment and Alex felt as it was on the other side of the world. Alex had been on the run for almost an hour now and had only covered a few blocks. On the run was not actually the right way to put things. Carrying two girls was no easy task, no matter how small they were. He was panting with the effort and needed to stop for a moment to catch his breath.

  "Girls, I need to put you down for a minute," Alex gasped. Both of the girls clung to Alex tighter, choking him in the process. "Girls, girls...I can't breath. I just need to put you down for a minute, then we'll head home. Okay?" The little arms around his neck eased a bit and he bent to put them on the ground. Alex's back flared with pain and he groaned with the effort. "Alright," Alex sighed. "Just a minute and we'll get going again." He sank heavily to the ground and held his head in his hands trying to clear the thoughts fighting for control in his mind.

  Alex was unsure how long he had been sitting there before he shook his head to focus again. The two girls were standing in front of him, still staring down at Alex, waiting for him to take them home. He looked up at them and smiled a little smile. "Okay, you two ready?" The girls nodded their heads slightly and looked as if they would cry at any moment. "Come on," Alex said and struggled to get off the ground. "Each of you take a hand. Let's go."

  Another block over Alex and the two girls came to a shopping center. Alex's eyes were drawn to the big red letters proclaiming "GUNS" and stopped abruptly. "We need to make a stop," Alex told the girls. Each of the girls began to protest weakly and Alex shook their hands. "It will just be a minute. We just need to stop for something important." The girls relented, too young and too scared to protest much.

  The bell above the shop door tinkled as the trio entered. The man behind the counter jerked in their direction and pulled the pistol from the holster at his hip.

  "What the hell are you doing?" Alex yelled as he pulled the girls behind him to shield them from the man. The shop owner w
as shaking, the gun hopping up and down in his hands as he aimed at Alex. "Put the gun away, man! I've got too kids here!"

  The shop owner seemed to snap out of his fright at the mention of the children and he lowered the gun. "I'm...sorry. I'm sorry. Aw shit, man...sorry," he stammered.

  "Put the gun away," Alex ordered.

  "O...okay...yeah, yeah," the man continued to stammer until he finally holstered the pistol again. "Wha...what do you want?"

  Alex relaxed his stance and met the man's gaze. "I want you to relax. I've got two kids here and you are not going to hurt anyone, got it?" Alex's voice was low and commanding. "I need some supplies. Have you got any .38 special ammo? I also need some .22 hollow-point and some .410 shotgun shells."

  The man behind the counter looked towards the TV and back to Alex, a look of shock and surprise on his face. "Dude, have you seen what's going on out there?" The question was serious. So was the look on Alex's face.

  "I'll take ten boxes of each, please. Have you got them?" Alex stared at the man, anger radiating out from his body.

  "Oh, yeah. I guess you have." The man licked his lips and actually looked even more nervous than when they had first entered the store. Alex didn't believe that possible. "Sorry, man. I think we are all out." He spread his hands wide as if there was nothing left to say.

  Alex looked as if he had been slapped across the face. He craned his head as if he were struggling to see the shelves behind the man. There were stacks of ammo in every caliber. "Do you think you could check in the back? Maybe you have some there." The sarcasm dripped from Alex's voice.

  "I'm sorry, man. There's nothing that I can do for you." The man was trying to sound sympathetic towards Alex and his problem, but the gesture fell short. The amount of ammo stacked behind the man was enough to start his own revolution.